DURHAM, N.C. – Three 91 graduate students have received awards for Outstanding Student Papers presented at the 2007 Fall meeting of the American Geophysical Union (AGU).

Sally Thompson, a Ph.D. student in the Division of Environmental Sciences and Policy at the Nicholas School of the Environment and Earth Sciences, was honored by the AGU’s Hydrology section for her paper, “Spatial Organization of Vegetation in Water-Controlled Landscapes: The Role of Vegetation Dispersion Strategies.”

Andrew Gronewald, a Ph.D. student in the Division of Environmental Sciences and Policy at the Nicholas School, was honored by the AGU Hydrology section for his paper, “Propagating Water Quality Analysis Uncertainty into Resource Management Decisions Through Probabilistic Modeling.”

Gil Bohrer, a Ph.D. student in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at the Pratt School of Engineering, was honored by the AGU Hydrology section for his paper, “Large-Eddy Simulations of Forest Canopy Micro-Scale Structural Heterogeneity Effects on the Atmospheric Boundary Layer.” 

Thompson was a 2006 James B. Duke Fellowship recipient.  Her faculty advisor is Gabriel Katul, professor of hydrology and micrometeorology at the Nicholas School.

Gronewald’s faculty advisor is Kenneth H. Reckhow, professor of water resources at the Nicholas School.

Bohrer’s faculty advisor is Roni Avissar, W.H. Gardner Jr. Professor of civil and environmental engineering at the Pratt School. Bohrer’s AGU paper was a collaborative effort between the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering and the Nicholas School.